One month at home...

This past weekend marked one month at home for Brady. Words can't describe how pleased we are to actually be in our own home. In hearing that one may think we would want to put the last few months out of our minds, but it really is quite the contrary. We still laugh about moments that happened with staff who became friends, reflect frequently on lessons that we learned and can now carry over from so many knowledgeable people and overall really miss all the people who were so important for so many reasons for what felt like a really long time. We often think of...

The nurse who greeted us the very first moment Brady rolled onto the eighth floor, with a big smile and comforting competence... how she would later bless him each night, bring palms from her home church and become a part of the extended family that gathered each evening

The respiratory therapist who was hopeful and supportive from day one, coming from a place of similar life experience and wanting to make it all a bit less scary for us,

The doctor who teared up the first time we heard Brady's voice again with a newly tolerated trach speaking valve, cheered on his continued development when he began to localize his withdrawal to pain and kindly reminded us of the things Brady had done to change similar situations for future pediatric patients on the floor,

The nurse practioner who listened to our same concerns over and over again with a sympathetic, never frustrated, ear and found just the perfect stuffed animal to bring soft sensory input and good luck to Brady all in one,

The energetic nurse who took care of mom just as much as Brady, checking in to make sure she had eaten and bringing her coffee the morning of a busy day... the conscientious and kind teaching she provided mom and dad while taking the utmost careful care of Brady,

The respiratory therapist who shared a success story she had seen using a specific epilepsy treatment with tremendous genuine hope for Brady and who wanted to be involved in making it a reality, well above and beyond the call of duty,

The speech therapist who taught mom patiently while treating Brady, answering countless questions as though it was a classroom all the while putting her faith in what Brady had in him, if only given the time to do it his way,

The respiratory therapist who cared for Brady like a son, pushing for the greatest expectations, knowing from personal experience that from initial intrepidation can come great results with care and attention, all while bonding with dad about how great being a parent can be,

The nurse practitioner who checked in on the whole family, like they were family... jumping in with hugs, personal stories and inside jokes and always watching to make sure Brady had the best care possible,

The doctor who, in a very tough moment, took the time to tell mom that she was very glad that Brady and our family was there with them,

The group of teenage patients who included Brady in conversation like he was one of them, appreciating his fashion choices, checking up on him regularly to see how he was doing and sharing personal experiences that may help him navigate situations in the future,

The nurse who always checked in throughout the day to make sure things were going Brady and his mom's way and who would have hopped in the driver's seat in a second to get Brady to an important appointment when the ambulance transportation didn't show up,

The occupational and physical therapists who sought daily to reach Brady in different ways and made sure mom and dad were ready to carry things over at home on their own...the balance they found between professionalism and an old friend who provides social and supportive conversation alike,

The respiratory therapist who put the utmost faith in mom and her opinions while always searching for the best course of action for Brady, all while being the silly, light-hearted presence that both mom and dad thrived on,

These are just some of the people we think of with fondness and gratitude. Below are only some of the very special faces among other staff equally as amazing. So many people at Spaulding touched our family's life in so many different ways. We are grateful for the care they provided Brady, their patient teaching and the time they afforded us to adjust and learn as they supported us in our preparations for a different life than the three of us had planned.

Even with the most positive and optimistic of attitutdes we could never honestly say any of "this" is what we wanted for our Brady Bear. At the same time, however, it is so hard, unfathomable almost, to imagine never having met all the different people who held Brady's hand, and ours, during the last months. The pediatric ward on the 8th floor at Spaulding became like a second home to the whole family. Brady's four year old cousin would call it our "other house" or our "apartment" when referring to room 811 and the cozy little studio set up Brady had going on. The three of us have to agree that a piece of us all will always feel a bit like the eighth floor is indeed our other home. There will never be enough ways to say thank you to people who got us through such tough times and set us up for success at home. We know words are not enough. We want you to know how very, very special the people on Spaulding Charlestown's eighth floor are. They will always be Brady's people. It will always be where we all began to find our strength.